[VoodooChile]

I got a Stanley Fat Max TLM 100 in the mail today, one of those new-fangled laser measurers that is gonna render the old fashioned tape measure obsolete...

After screwing around with the thing, I'm having a hard time believing it would ever replace my roll tape on an estimate.

I can definitely see its usefulness for interior applications where targets, planes and flat surfaces to steady it on abound, but try to measure the exterior of a house with it, and I'll bet your running to the truck for the roll tape.

Is anyone using a laser measuring device for landscaping purposes? What are you doing with it?

Mine was a free gift, just for the record.

[PSUscaper]

Mine was a free gift, just for the record.

I think that pretty much answers the question.......

I may be wrong, but I don't think they work to well outside. I know interior guys love them. Some guys have little pocket computers with them built in, and they walk into a room, hit a button, and it takes the rooms dimensions, then sends them to a file. You just input some other info like where the doors and closets are, and then you can download it to a computer and have a rendered drawing in seconds. pretty cool.

[agla]

I use the same one that you have. It does not replace the tape, but I love it.

I use a tape on the building for the most part, but where it gets really handy is locating existing trees and other things on a site. It saves a lot of time and wear and tear on my platform soled pimp shoes that will be back in style after my wife throws them away.

I have located trees by laying a tape out in line with the end of the building or big jog and then measuring over from the tree to the tape with a second tape and writing down the coordinates. Now I can line myself up with the end of the building and the tree, shoot the building then the tree, and I have my coordinates in about thesame time that it took me to explain it.

It can be difficult to see the laser spot when it is bright out and some surfaces don't work as well as others. I find that it works very well up to 50', but have taken shots over 80'. It is very accurate, but it just does not make the read at the longer distances - you get an error message. It works best measuring to a building surface.

I bought mine after I spent three hours taping locations of trees for a landscape redo in a section of a condo development. I measured existing around only three of 11 buildings in that three hours. The next day I went back with the laser and measured the rest and redid some of the others in a total of two hours. It owed me nothing after that.

Cost: $94 at HD

It is a hand held thing about the size of a pack of cigarettes that shines a red laser beam at whatever. You push a button and it gives you the distance to that object on a little LCD screen.

[VoodooChile]

Thanks agla!

I had heard through the grape vine that a local competitor loved his, but I was baffled why...now I know.

[Fine Edge]

Sounds like they work better than my battery powered tape measure that the in-law bought me for X-mas. JUNK!

[agla]

I work for an engineering company that has a very nice one. It is made b Leitz (who I think actually makes the Stanley), but it is much nicer. It has a viewer and a level bubble which keeps you knowing what you are measuring and keeping your shot straight as well.

I've only used it indoors measuring condos. That one runs about $400. Locating trees on a sight is pretty sloppy anyway, so I'll stick with the $100 one.